Bill Bennett shreds what remains of the Gingrich campaign

[kpete]

Posted at 11:16 AM ET, 05/17/2011
Bill Bennett shreds what remains of the Gingrich campaign
By Jennifer Rubin

There is no conservative more beloved and respected than William Bennett. His conservative credentials are impeccable, he’s been through all the political wars of the past 30 years, and his jovial demeanor earns him genuine affection. It is therefore significant, hugely so, that he brought Newt Gingrich on his radio show and in a very parental manner chided, lectured and ultimately shamed Gingrich.

It is essential to listen to the entire segment.
http://media.townhall.com/townhall/bennett/NewtGingrich5.17.11.mp3
The arc of the conversation is interesting to follow. Gingrich begins by denying he really criticized Paul Ryan. He then is forced to listen to his own words and tries to rewrite them, suggesting he wanted to improve on the Ryan plan. Bennett will have none of that and instructs Gingrich (who at this point seems an awful lot like a teenager in a heap of trouble) that no one could have understood him to mean that. Then Gingrich begins to backpedal furiously. He loves Ryan, loves, loves, loves him. And Ryan’s budget (which includes the Medicare plan) is swell. It is at this point that Bennett tells him his campaign is over unless he retracts and apologizes. For emphasis he shares a conversation with a Gingrich supporter who has the same take. As it wraps up, Gingrich issues a non-apology and then sheepishly admits Bennett’s advice may be wise.

It is a stunningly effective interview, revealing Gingrich to be both unprincipled and dishonest. In as pleasant a tone possible, Bennett undoes the former House speaker, eventually telling him he didn’t advance the cause of conservatism on “Meet the Press.”

MORE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/bill-bennett-shreds-what-remains-of-the-gingrich-campaign/2011/03/29/AF5D5n5G_blog.html

[geckosfeet]

1. So Bennett, the jovial conservative, advances the cause of gutting medicare.

[CreekDog]

10. and recommends putting the savings on Red

:D

[JNelson6563]

2. Bill "the bookie of virtues" Bennett??

[cordelia]

12. Brilliant. Hat's off to you. n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Bennett is also unprincipled and dishonest, so he'd know!

A bigot. Self serving gambling addict. He and Gingrich are a good fit, one for the other.

[peace frog]

4. I'm for anyone who obliterates Gingrich's presidential hopes

and if it has to be Bill Bennett, so be it. Bennett is admired by many conservatives if not progressives, so his opinion has merit in that respect. As long as Eye of Newt is disintegrated in the process it's OK by me.

[AndiMer]

5. Did they make a bet on the nomination?

:9

[zbdent]

6. Gamblin' Bill's betting the farm that

Gingrich DOESN'T make the nomination ...

not surprisingly, it's not HIS farm he's betting with ...

[Jim__]

7. All Gingrich demands is that you not criticize what he says ...

... but keep your criticism to what he meant. And what he meant is exactly what he now claims he meant. Of course, he is free to hold his critics to his interpretation of what they said.

[lunatica]

8. The first paragraph sets up the idiotic slant of the article

No one should bother to keep reading after Bill Bennett is described as "His conservative credentials are impeccable, he’s been through all the political wars of the past 30 years, and his jovial demeanor earns him genuine affection."

[hatrack]

15. "Jovial demeanor"? "Genuine Affection"?

Huh.

I thought he was just another pompous, hard-right, self-righteous money-grubbing asshole . . .

[CreekDog]

9. well he had no choice

you know how much he'd lose if Newt beats the spread?

[KharmaTrain]

11. Political Lemmings...

If one jumps off the cliff, they all must go! How dare the Gnewster dare to cross the prime talking point...how dare him play the false equivelency game? He piss in the wrong cornflakes.

This is an interesting scenario. While the wound was self-inflicted, the hate radio machine is so wound-up in its own self-importance and water-carrying for the corporates that they have put their purity tests onto steroids. Dare to cross the mighty Rushbo or his powerful friends and the knives are out fast and from all directions.

Gnewt thought he could slither onto some "safe" ground with his old buddy Bettamillion Bill and even his old pal couldn't toss him a lifeline. But this was more likely one bridge too far. For years the hate radio and Faux Noise crowd tolerated him and overlooked his hypocritcal womanizing and scandalous fundraising (he got tangled up with Murdoch in the 90s) fundraising but that was a far different party than today. The "true conservative" gives no quarter to ANYTHING a Democrat even slightly agrees with. The Ryan scam is the ultimate unraveling not only of the remnants of the New Deal but even Progressive legislation Teddy Roosevelt pushed through over a century ago. They want a return to the "guilded age" of the robber barons. Gnewt didn't quite get the memo...so he's now getting a big message.

We're one step closer to the ultimate implosion of the rushpublican party...coming soon to a primary near you.

[Iggo]

13. '...jovial demeanor...'?

Is this guy just making it up as he goes along?

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Bennett is a bigot.

"Broadening the definition of marriage to include same-sex unions would stretch it almost beyond recognition—and new attempts to expand the definition still further would surely follow. On what principled ground can Andrew Sullivan exclude others who most desperately want what he wants, legal recognition and social acceptance? Why on earth would Sullivan exclude from marriage a bisexual who wants to marry two other people? After all, exclusion would be a denial of that person's sexuality. The same holds true of a father and daughter who want to marry. Or two sisters. Or men who want (consensual) polygamous arrangements." Bill Bennett version of classing hate speech. Jovial?

And this quote is especially good for this week, Ensign, Gingrich, Arnold and their myriad accomplices and sex partners:
" Forsaking all others is an essential component of marriage. Obviously it is not always honored in practice. But it is the ideal to which we rightly aspire, and in most marriages the ideal is in fact the norm. Many advocates of same-sex marriage simply do not share this ideal; promiscuity among homosexual males is well known." Bill Bennett, slandering hate monger.

[tabasco]

16. Bennett is almost as big a piece of shit as Gingrich. n/t

[cordelia]

19. Agreed.

[Mr. Sparkle]

17. Rachel is right, Newt is just a conman.

he has no substance what so ever, like the majority of republican politicians, he does not stand for anything.

[pintobean]

18. K/R Toasted Newt

:)

[SpiralHawk]

20. I'm going to gamble here...and suggest that

William 'Dice' Bennett is nearly as big a Republicon Jerkwad HypoCrite as tEh NewTie.

Anybody give me odds?

[devilgrrl]

21. "There is no conservative more beloved and respected than William Bennett?"

What a heaping pile of bullshit.

[FormerDittoHead]

22. "His conservative credentials are impeccable" - WANNA BET? n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. How does "revealing Gingrich to be both unprincipled and dishonest" hurt his primary chances?

This is a republican primary, remember. It's OK If You're A Republican. You can't say his campaign is over until the irrational Republican voters have made their minds up using a process that cannot be explained by anyone. Look at how Palin is still popular with a segment, despite being unprincipled and dishonest, not to mention stupid, for years.

[gratuitous]

24. Bill Bennett scolding you on politics

Is like Charlie Sheen lecturing you about the Sermon on the Mount. The only place Bill Bennett could be "beloved and respected" would be in the pages of the formerly "liberal" Washington Post or at the internet circus freakshow known as Town Hall . com.

Looks like every Republican is going to have to get behind Paul Ryan's disastrous plan or feel the wrath of not only the Tea Baggers but the Republican establishment.

[Wounded Bear]

25. I have to admit....

calling the Gingrich that stole Congress "a teenager in a heap of trouble" is pretty spot on.

:evilgrin: